


A Menagerie of Dragons

by flurry_of_beaus



Series: Dragons of Remmant [4]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), RWBY
Genre: Dragons of Remmant AU, Other, crossover AU, edited slightly for the AU, its canon compliant, its the menagerie arc in this AU basically, just ya know, menagerie arc, so theres probably more characters that listed off, some death of course, there's fluff and angst, there's the dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-03-26 15:23:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19008526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flurry_of_beaus/pseuds/flurry_of_beaus
Summary: Menagerie Arc, but in my Dragons of Remmant Au





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> That's right, I'm now doing a multi chapter fic. I just love this arc, if it hasn't become clear, Blake is my favorite character. Both in general and to write. Although Ilia is also relatively easy for me to write as well, so that's nice. My skills improve!  
> I'll try to be consistent, but honestly, don't expect the most frequent updates.

Glancing over at Swift Shadow, the night fury was looking across the waves with wide eyes, claws holding on to the ships deck. Blake put a hand on his neck, and the black dragon made a small noise. Blake sighed, breathing in the ocean scented air.  
The sound of children laughter distracted her briefly, and a deeper sigh left her mouth. Swift Shadow looked over at her, looking confused. Blake didn’t meet his gaze long, focusing on the ocean again. The night fury wrapped his tail around her, resting his head on the ship’s railing with a deep sigh.  
Footsteps and a voice spooked both dragon and faunus. “Traveling alone?” the captain asked, knowing the answer.  
Blake found herself reaching for her weapon out of instinct, Swift Shadow dropping down with a growl. The captain put his hands up, and spoke again.  
“Now, now. No threat here. Just here to chat.” he explained, voice calm despite the growls in front of him.  
Blake relaxed, and Swift Shadow followed as well, watching the bearded main with untrusting eyes. “And why is that?” she asked, before looking down at Swift Shadow. “Besides, I’m not alone, I have Swift Shadow with me.”  
“Sorry, meant ‘traveling without another person?’, not alone.” the captain conceded, leaning against the railing of the ship. “Not many people travel by boat with just a dragon. Or alone for that matter.” he pointed out, watching her with kind eyes. “It can be quite a lonely voyage. But I’ve found the ones that do tend to have the more… interesting stories.”  
Blake’s fist clenched and she turned away, looking the opposite direction of the older man. “Maybe it’s just… better for some people to be alone.” she used the word loosely. The sounds of children running past, chasing each other, spooked her again, and Blake took a few deep breaths, while Swift Shadow gave the kids an annoyed huff.  
After she had collected herself again, the captain let out an amused laugh. “Maybe.” he agreed, “But with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn’t hurt.”  
“Who says I’m paranoid?” Blake snapped, and Swift Shadow scowled at the captain. “And I have a friendly face anyways!”  
The captain laughed again, although he didn’t seem to have ill intent. “No one, dear. No one. I’ll leave you be.” he said, turning away before walking off. “But, uh, fair warning. These trips can be awfully boring without someone to hold a conversation with.”  
Blake watched him walk off, one hand on the rail. She shared a look with the night fury, before reaching up for the bow, and removing it. “Won’t be needing this.” she muttered, tossing it into the water with a heavy look.  
Walking away from the edge of the water, Blake looked over at Swift Shadow. He followed after her, sticking close as usual. 

The sun had started to set, and the ship was passing by some rocks now. Back at the railing with Swift Shadow, a tag on his saddle that let staff know he hadn’t been smuggled on board and that marked him as a hunter’s dragon, the dark pair were looking at the water again.  
A passing couple caught Blake’s attention, the two walking towards the front of the ship with interlocked hands. She also couldn’t shake the feeling of someone watching her, and Swift Shadow was sniffing the air.  
Glancing up, Blake saw a cloaked figure on the second floor deck, looking in her direction. She pulled out Gambol Shroud quickly, glaring up at the figure. “Who’s there?!” she asked, Swift Shadow glaring and sniffing the air.  
The figure just turned and ran, footsteps loud against the wooden deck. She kept an eye on the area until a large wave rocked the ship, and then the shadow of a large titan scauldron arrived on the deck.  
“Red alert!” one of the crew shouted, panic in his voice. Alarms started going off, and the crew started running around.  
“By the gods…” the captain muttered, Blake’s sharp hearing catching his words with ease. A loud roar from the massive tidal class dragon, and Swift Shadow let out a growl in return. “All hands to battle stations!” the captain ordered out, as Blake got in the saddle and Swift Shadow took to the sky.  
Blake couldn’t catch the reply from the crewmember by the captain, but she didn’t really bother to listen in either, Swift Shadow gaining altitude with powerful strokes of his wings. Swift Shadow flew towards the titan wing, and Blake readied her blade.  
Slashing when her partner got close enough, and Swift Shadow letting out a few blasts of his own as well, Blake also sent a few shots of violet dust at the dragon, the shots harmlessly bouncing off their scales.  
When the dark blue dragon raced towards the boat, Swift Shadow flew down and hovered about the deck, growling. The ship leaned as it was steered to avoid the diving dragon, and Swift Shadow flew up just a little to avoid the higher deck. As the ship leveled out, both Blake and Swift Shadow took a few more shots at the wild dragon.  
The sounds of cannons popping into position to fire filled the air, and Swift Shadow flew in close enough for the blade of Gambol Shroud to meet the nasal horn of the scauldron, before he darted off to avoid a bite from the tidal dragon. Cannon balls started flying, and the dragon squirmed to dodge them all, his tail creating wind that knocked Swift Shadow off balanced and he crashed on the deck. The black dragon recovered quickly, growling. Blake’s arm was a little sore from the landing.  
Seeing a larger cannon rise out of the deck, the scauldron left the water fully, flapping up to fly just out of range of the blasts from the weapon. He clapped his wings at the saddled dragon again, and Swift Shadow’s claws dug into the deck to avoid losing footing. The cannon fired, the scauldron avoiding its attack and preparing to send a blast of water at the ship.  
As Swift Shadow was about to take off, the cloaked figure, on back of a woolly howl bounced off them, and both Blake and Swift Shadow objected, the figures rising towards the scauldron. The cloak feel the deck, and a familiar face was visible on the dragons back.  
“Sun?!” Blake asked, eyes wide. She heard him shout something at the scauldron, Golden Champ letting out a loud roar. “What are you doing?” She shouted at Sun, voice curious.  
“Uh, you know, just uh… Hanging out!” Sun shouted as his dragon chased after the scauldron, sending out icy blasts at the dragon.  
A slap of the scauldrons tail caused him to lose his seating in his saddle, and Swift Shadow lunged forward, catching the blonde faunus in his front legs and landing. Golden Champ quickly following afterwards. Swift Shadow let Blake up Sun up into the saddle, grumbling.  
Once they had landed on one of the rocks, Sun looked up at Blake with a big grin. “My hero.” he told her, ignoring the scowl on her face.  
“You’re not supposed to be here!” she snapped, causing Sun to flinch slightly, before recovering.  
“Yeah, well it looks like you need all the help you can get.” he responded with a flat look, holding the look for a few seconds.  
Blake pushed Sun out of the saddle with a sigh, Swift Shadow started to take off. “Just shut up and fight.” she told him, her dragon gaining altitude again.  
“Yes ma’am.” Sun shouted, finally getting on his dragon and following after Swift Shadow. The younger dragon was flying eagerly, wings beating rapidly.  
They raced to the ship, Swift Shadow moving to intercept a blast of water until Sun used his weapon to direct it elsewhere, the staff rotating quickly. Sun had a cocky smile on his face, and posed like a hero.  
“Huntsmen!” The captain shouted, “Distract it, and keep it in front of the bow, and we can scare it off!”  
Blake looked over at Sun, who gestured at her with a shrug. “I mean, you’re the one with more experience against wild dragons.”  
Blake sighed, but had Swift Shadow start flying again, Golden Champ following after him quickly. When they almost collided, Swift Shadow glared at the other dragon, diving down and flying past the scauldrons head, rolling out of the way of blasts of water. With a grunt, Blake pulled her weapon out again, brushing it against the spines along the scauldrons fins.  
The dragon reacted by waving his tail around wildly, managing to collide with the saddled night fury. Blake lost her seat in the saddle, aiming for the rock below her. She spotted Sun and Golden Champ racing under her, the dragon catching her like her dragon had caught Sun earlier, but surprised by the momentum, crashed onto the rock. While falling, Sun pulled Blake into the saddle.  
“This is the part where you say it.” Sun chirped, a dumb smile on his face. Blake glared at him, but when the rock started to collapse, Golden Champ took off, Blake jumping over to Swift Shadow’s saddle and briefly hugging his neck. “Okay, maybe later!” Sun called out, flying off after her, scauldron in pursuit.  
The sea dragon was hot on their tails, until the ship rammed into them, Swift Shadow and Golden Champ flying up towards the sky. The collision stopped the water blast before it could be finished, and the scauldron glared then dived down into the water dodging a blast from the cannon.  
Swift Shadow dipped down, spiralling onto a rock with a heavy pant, looking at Blake with pleased eyes. The woolly howl landed next to them, and Sun finished his celebratory laugh.  
“Up top!” Sun offered his head in a high five, Blake not paying him attention as she stared at the water, where the ripples of the large dragon diving down were fading. The dragon didn’t resurface, and they likely had fled.  
She turned towards him with a glare, Sun waving his hand a little with a grin on his face. Blake opted to slap him instead, Sun losing his grin as he realized what was happening. 

Back on the ship, the two dragons drinking some water and relaxing now, the sky had gone fully dark with the stars shining. Blake glared out to sea as Sun wrapped up his conversation with the couple she had seen earlier. Once that was over, Sun walked over to her side, relaxed.  
He sighed lightly, and gestured back with a thumb. “Think they’ve never seen a fight before.” he started, noticing Blake’s glare.  
“What are you doing here, Sun?” she asked, voice sharp but controlled. Swift Shadow looked up from the water dish, ears flicking.  
“Digging the new outfit by the way, never did like the bow.” Sun avoided her question, tail flicking and reaching towards her feline ears, which fell back out of instinct. Swift Shadow let out a low growl.  
Blake slapped his hand away from the ears, while getting his attention by snapping his name at him.  
“Jeez,” he muttered as he flinched, tail curling around his leg. Golden Champ looked up for a second, going back to his water.  
“Have you been following me?!” she asked, ears pinning back. Sun saw her expression, and backed up a little, before looking out at the ocean with a sigh.  
“I saw you run off.” he paused, and continued after a second. “The night Beacon fell. Once we landed in Vale, you made sure everyone was okay. Then you just took off. Without saying anything.” Blake’s expression fell, and she looked away, at the water.  
“I had to.” she started, voice going quiet. “You wouldn’t understand.” the sounds of the water crashing against the boat was all she heard for a second, and Swift Shadow headbutted her gently.  
“No, I get it!” Sun exclaimed, and Blake looked over at him, bewildered. “I knew exactly what you were doing. You’re going on a one woman rampage against the White Fang!” he said, smirking confidently.  
Blake looked at him for a second, realizing what he thought. “What?!” she asked, annoyed again. Swift Shadow dropped down, sitting next to her with his tail wrapped around her boots, also making an annoyed sound.  
“You’ve always felt like the Fang was your fight, they show up, trash your school, hurt your friends. It makes perfect sense!” Sun started, looking at the sky. His dragon approached him, golden fur-like scales decorating his neck.  
Swift Shadow’s face fell, and Blake brought a hand to her head, shocked. “I can’t believe you.” She muttered, shaking her head slightly.  
Sun ignored her comment, carrying on. “But there’s no way I’m letting you do this alone! It’s an honorable approach for sure, but your going to need someone watching your back.” he started, reaching over to put an arm around her. “That’s where I come in. Us faunus gotta stick together after all.”  
She pushed him off her with her shoulder, sighing. “You’re wrong Sun, you’re so, so wrong.” she muttered walking away.  
“What do you-” he started, voice dropping down when he saw her stop, and pull an arm around herself.  
“I’m not going anywhere near the White Fang.” Blake muttered, voice low. “Not yet. And anyways, I have someone watching after my back.” she pointed to Swift Shadow, who perked up eagerly.  
“Seriously?” Sun asked, surprised. Golden Champ made a curious sound, and Swift Shadow reapproached his partner, pulling a wing around her.  
Blake turned and looked at Sun, keeping a neutral expression. “I need to sort somethings out.”  
“Then why not do it with your team?!” Sun asked, flaring his hands out. “Your friends?”  
Blake turned, “You’re one to talk! Assuming Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet aren’t hiding below deck.” Swift Shadow’s wing fell back to his side, looking at Sun sharply.  
“You really think I could get Neptune on the ocean?” Sun asked, hopping up on the railing. “They flew back to Mistral, I told them I’d catch up. Not the first time I left them to take a boat.” He explained, Golden Champ following his movements, front claws on the railing.  
The conversation died down for a second, and Sun started talking again. “So, if you’re not going after the White Fang, where are you going?” he asked, confused.  
Blake looked at the water for a second, before speaking. “Home. To Menagerie.” Her voice was low, and Swift Shadow looked over at her, curious. Blake gave one of his ears an affectionate rub, and the dragon laid his head against the railing.  
“Well, I’m coming with you!” Sun declared, surprising Blake. “Just because you’re not going after the fang, doesn’t mean they won’t be coming for you. ‘Sides, I’m kinda already on the boat.” he explained, looking out at the sea.  
“There’s really no stopping you.” Blake muttered, her ears falling to the side. The feline ears also perked up when Sun spoke again, his voice loud.  
“Nope.” Looking over at him, Sun was sitting with one leg draped down, the other being used as a balance for his elbow, and his right hand was flashing a peace sign. His tail was also pulled up, as still as it got. “This is going to be great. I’ve never been to Menagerie before, it’ll be a regular journey to the east! Yeah, I like the sound of that.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh yeah, here's the second chapter. It's been done for a little, but chapter three was rough for me, and I wanted it to be in the rough draft stage... or something like that.  
> These are written alongside the episodes, and just modified for the AU btw

The boat let out a loud noise as it slowed, alerting the passengers that it was arriving in Menagerie. Swift Shadow was woken up from his sleep, Golden Champ having worn him out hours ago by chasing him around the ship. The young woolly howl was still playful, Sun decided to let him play with some of the kids on the ship a while ago, with parental permission.  
Golden Champ perked up, and raced towards his partner, skidding to a halt. Swift Shadow walked over to Blake looking at the island with curious eyes. Blake gave his ears an anxious rub, trying to calm her nerves. Sun was just as excited as his rider, tail whipping around eagerly.  
The docks were crowded, vendors trying to sell things, and people going to greet their family that was on the ship. Sun had asked earlier if her parents would be there, and Blake had to explain that they had no idea she was coming back.  
The large bell in Kuo Kuana rang out as well, the sound still familiar to Blake despite the years it had been since she’d heard the sound. People started getting off, chatting as they left the ship.  
Sun held back until Blake started walking, Swift Shadow almost glued to her side. Despite his curiosity, the dragon didn’t like crowded places or people for the most part, and it was showing up. Golden Champ wasn’t far behind them, Sun having attached a rope to his belt and his dragon's saddle to keep him close.  
It was refreshing to see all the faunus of Menagerie, the crowds still thick as ever. Swift Shadow was looking around, sniffing around.  
“I’ve never seen so many faunus in one place before,” Sun commented, awe in his voice. He had to tug at the rope to get Golden Champ to get back over to his side.  
“This is the one place everyone can feel safe.” Blake pointed out, looking around. It had changed in some regards but was still surprisingly familiar. The crowds parted for the dragons and the two faunus with them, people unsure about the dragons. “No matter who or what they are.” she finished, voice low.  
“Wow,” Sun muttered, looking around with wide eyes. Blake had to admit, it was a nice sight for anyone who hadn’t grown up on the small island. “Sure is, uh, crowded,” he added, rubbing the back of his head.  
Blake sighed, looking down at her feet. “Yes, yes it is.” she agreed. Swift Shadow’s wing brushed against her thigh as he narrowly avoided running into someone, almost randomly skittish. Blake just gave him a comforting ear scratch, settling the dragon down.  
“Is it always so… cramped?” Sun asked as he had to dodge around a horned faunus carrying a box, Golden Champ pulling at his makeshift leash.  
“Well, when you try and take an entire species on an island that’s two-thirds desert, yeah, it tends to be cramped.” She told him, ears folding flat with annoyance. Swift Shadow had decided to fly just above them, finding it easier than walking.  
“What?! You guys have that much more space?” Sun asked, moving in front of her. “Why waste it? A little desert never hurt anyone.”  
“It’s not like the desert in Vacuo, Sun,” Blake explained, stopping in front of him. “The wildlife is more dangerous here compared to most of the region's.”  
Sun paused, looking down. “So they gave us a terrible island, in the corner of Remnant, to try and shut us up,” he asked, voice going dry.  
“That’s a pretty good summary, yeah.” Blake agreed, walking around Sun. She heard Sun go ‘huh’ before he started following her again, tugging at the line once more. His muttered comment of ‘jerks’ amused her.  
“We’ve tried to make the best of it,” Blake told him, watching as Swift Shadow landed now that the paths were starting to get clear enough. The night fury practically attached himself to her side again. Sun looked around, eyes wide as he looked down at the residential district. “This is Kuo Kuana.” she finished, spotting her family’s house with ease.  
“It’s… beautiful.” Sun muttered, slouching and looking around the area. “I take it all back! This place looks great! Why would anyone ever want to leave?!” Sun exclaimed, stepping closer to her before Swift Shadow let out a quick warning growl.  
“That’s not the point, Sun!” Blake held back her sigh, ears starting to fold back down. “We asked to be equal, to be treated just like everyone else. Instead, we were given an island and told to make do! So we did the best we could. We came together and made a home where any faunus could feel welcome.” she started, voice starting to break a little. “But this island, this town, will always be a reminder that we’re still not equal. That we’re still second class citizens.” She looked down, and Swift Shadow gave her a headbutt to try and cheer her up. Blake smiled sadly at him.  
When Sun put his hand on her shoulder, Blake looked over at him. “Well, hey, this guy’s feeling pretty at home,” he told her with a soft smile, pointing his thumb at himself. Blake sighed, looking down again.  
“All right, time to go home,” she said, mostly talking to herself. Sun looked excited, pulling her in close despite the noise that Swift Shadow made at him.  
“Oh yeah, which one’s yours? Can you see it from here?” Sun asked, voice revealing his excitement.  
“Kind of,” Blake admitted, looking at the big house, although there was a new thing out front. It looked like a statue of a dragon had been added, looking to be a crimson goregutter. While Blake hadn’t seen one in person, the large dragon was unmistakable. Few dragons got that big, and the species had unique horns as well.  
Sun started to point around, asking if every house he saw was hers until she grabbed his arm and pointed at the biggest house, right across from them. Sun looked at her, pointing at her than the house. She nodded, ears folding in mild discomfort.  
Sun let go of her shoulder, pulling both hands to the sides of his head, jaw-dropping. A strange noise left his mouth, and Blake just watched him freak out for a second. Swift Shadow looked up at her, wide eyes. 

Sun didn’t try to make any more conversation as the approached the large house, the statue of the large horned dragon catching her gaze. It was incredibly well made, could have been alive if not for the fact that it was very still. Any quivers were written off as her imagination running wild.  
Blake reached for the massive door knocker, pausing before she grabbed it. Ears flat, she looked at her hand, surprised it wasn’t shaking.  
“What is it?” Sun asked, making her ears perk up towards the sound. Sun sounded curious, but not judgmental.  
“I um… it’s just been a long time… since I’ve seen my parents.” Blake explained, arms stiff at her side. Swift Shadow pressed his nose into her left palm, purring quietly.  
Sun’s voice was kind when he spoke again. “Well, you came all this way,” he muttered, trying to be encouraging.  
Blake sighed before looking back at the big door, gathering the nerve to slam the door knocker against it. A loud noise met the motion, and she withdrew her hand slowly, backing up.  
“Okay, if we’re being honest, that’s kind of intimidating,” Sun commented, backing up as well. Blake just looked at him, trying to hide her anxiety.  
The sound of the door opening refocused her gaze, and the statue turned its head towards them as well. A figure peeked out from behind the door, eyes going wide when she recognized Blake.  
“Blake?” she asked, voice surprised and pleased at the same time. Blake felt her ears fall, and what she thought was a statue move over towards them, looking happily at Kali.  
“Hi, mom,” she muttered, tried not to sound nervous. Kali rushed in for a hug, Swift Shadow quickly relaxing from his lowered stance and sniffing her leg curiously.  
“My baby girl,” Kali muttered, her voice extremely happy now. Blake melted into the hug with a fond smile, wrapping her hand around her mother’s arm.  
Her father’s voice called out, after a few seconds, Kali having noticed the night fury and giving him an ear scratch. “Kali, who is it?” he asked, slowly entering Blake’s sight. Kali turned from the hug.  
Ghira paused by the door, first looking confused by the lack of a response, then his jaw-dropping. A scarred rumblehorn was behind him, dark purple scales clattering with each step. A soft smile appeared on the tall man’s face, and Blake forced an awkward smile onto her face.  
He welcomed them in, wrapping Blake in a large hug, and when Swift Shadow forced himself into it, making space for the night fury.

“We were horrified when we heard the news,” Kali explained, once all four faunus, and the dragons, except for the crimson goregutter, were gathered in the dining room. “The kingdom of Vale wasn’t perfect, but it certainly didn’t deserve what happened. We were both so worried.” she sighed, eyes kind.  
Ghira chuckled, crossing his arms. “Please, I knew she’d be fine,” he said, looking at Kali, who scoffed at him.  
“That isn’t the slightest bit true.” she looked back at Blake, “You should have seen him pacing.”  
“You guys have nothing to worry about,” Sun started talking, Blake grabbing her teacup instead of responding. “I’ve seen your daughter in action before, and trust me, she’s got some moves,” he spoke with confidence.  
Blake froze, and it took Sun a few seconds to realize how his words could be taken. Swift Shadow was over by the rumblehorn, getting to know him.  
“And what exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Wukong?” Ghira asked, and the monkey faunus froze, struggling to respond.  
When Blake meet her mother’s gaze, she looked confused. “And why is he here?” Kali asked, voice quiet while Sun struggled to explain himself.  
“He just kinda followed me home,” she explained, shrugging while her ears fell flat. Swift Shadow walked over to her side, laying his head down on her legs and laying down with a thump.  
“I see,” Kali commented, looking away from Blake and over at Ghira and Sun. Sun was still struggling, arms flailing wildly.  
He finally tried to save himself by grabbing the tea kettle with his tail, refilling his cup. “This tea is really good.” he finished, emphasizing ‘really’. After sipping the tea, Sun looked up at Ghira with an awkward smile.  
“I like him,” Kali muttered to Blake, making her ears fall flat quickly and Swift Shadow grumble a little at the way she twisted to glare at her mother.  
The door knocker saved them any further embarrassment, her’s and Kali’s ears both perking up at the sound, while Sun and Ghira looked over at the door.  
“Darn it, I completely forgot about the meeting,” Ghira muttered, slamming his fist on the table. Kali reached over to place her hand of the fist, and the hand relaxed. “Give me a moment,” he said, standing up and walking towards the door.  
“Is everything okay?” Blake asked, one hand on the table and the other stroking Swift Shadow’s scales lightly.  
“Yes, dear, just poor timing.” Kali nodded, “he can reschedule. It’s just been hard dealing with them lately.”  
“Dealing with who?” Blake asked, eyes narrowing and her hand stilling against the night furies ear, who let out a soft grouchy growl.  
“Mmm? The White Fang.” Kali said casually, making both Sun and Blake stand up, Swift Shadow’s head falling against the floor, although his ears were upright as well.  
Blake raced out of the dining room, back towards the entrance. “Dad?” she called out, her father turned around with a confused look.  
“Blake?” he asked, two fox faunus’s behind him, as well as a hideous zippleback. “What’s wrong?” he asked.  
“Ms. Belladonna.” both hooded white fang members greeted her, bowing their heads. “We had no idea you’d returned.”  
Ignoring them, she looked up at her father. “What are you doing talking to these people?” She asked, her voice sharper than she intended.  
Ghira gestured to them with one hand, confused. “This is Corsac and Fennec Albain. They represent the White Fang here in Menagerie,” he said, looking at Blake, whose ears had started to pin back.  
“Those psycho’s are here now too?” Sun asked, glaring at Corsac and Fennec. The one with fox ears, Fennec, responded to him.  
“Young man, I’m not sure what you heard of our organization, but I can assure you we are not as ferocious as the media would have you believe,” Fennec spoke calmly, gesturing with one hand.  
“What we’ve heard?” Blake asked, outraged. “We’ve seen first hand! Your fanatics slaughtered people.”  
Ghira turned towards Corsac and Fennec. “What is she talking about?” he asked, voice low. Blake wasn’t sure if he believed her or not.  
“Precisely what we came to discuss with you, your grace,” Corsac said, voice low and smooth.  
“Is everything alright?” Kali asked, her voice confused. Blake hadn’t noticed her entering and felt the wing of Swift Shadow brush against her leg.  
“Wait, you guys seriously don’t know?” Sun asked, tail whipping around. Ghira looked over at the two of them, a serious look in his eyes.  
“Know what?” he asked, looking at Blake more than Sun. Part of her thought he was angry with her, while another part tried to convince that part he wasn’t.  
“The White Fang was at the fall of Beacon. They attacked innocent civilians, and they released dragons into the school.” Blake explained slowly, looking at Corsac and Fennec.  
The brothers shared a look, and she felt Ghira’s gaze leave her, focusing on them now. “Is this true?” he asked, speaking slowly.  
“Sadly, your grace, it is,” Fennec admitted, looking down. His brother looked calmly at them, and the two-headed dragon started bickering with themselves.  
“Don’t act like-” Blake started, stepping towards them until Ghira put his arm out to stop her. She looked up at him shocked.  
“That’s enough.” He said, still looking at the twins. Blake backed up, anxiety growing by the heartbeat, and Swift Shadow wrapped his tail around her, sensing that. “Explain yourselves,” he told the White Fang members.  
Once more, the brothers shared a look, Corsac speaking this time. “Though it pains us to admit, it has become apparent that the Vale branch of the White Fang is no longer operating under orders of High Leader Khan,” he spoke slowly, almost like he was planning his words. “Rather, they’ve elected to follow the rule of one Adam Taurus.”  
The name caused Blake’s blood to freeze, and she was glad that no one was watching her at the moment. Swift Shadow wrapped his wings around her though, familiar with the reaction.  
“I believe you’re all familiar with the adept and his… extreme philosophies.” Corsac finished, oblivious to the reaction his words caused.  
Sun spoke up again, Blake looking over at him. “You know, Beacon wasn’t the first time the Fang started shooting up Vale.” he pointed out, starting to get angry.  
“The high council had their suspicions of a splinter group, but they could prove nothing until this latest incident,” Fennec told them, barely glancing at Sun.  
“Incident?!” Blake asked, “People are dead.” She scowled, eyes fixed in a glare set on the two faunus.  
“And it is a tragedy,” Corsac said, while his brother turned towards Ghira with an impatient look in his eyes.  
“Your grace, we came to assure you that Brother Taurus and his followers do not represent the will of the White Fang,” Fennec spoke, voice taking a sharp tone.  
“And how can I be sure of that?” Ghira asked, voice sharp. Blake sighed in relief, realizing that he had believed her and Sun.  
“We understand if you bear any skepticism towards these claims, the White Fang’s tactics are admittedly more… aggressive since you stepped down as High Leader and become Chieftain of Menagerie. But this, this is no way to make our message heard.” Corsac responded, voice calm.  
“We have ample documentation from the council as well as several strategies to apprehend and punish these strays if you’d care to review them.” Fennec continued.  
“I will.” Ghira started, “But another day. I’d like some time to reconnect with my daughter.” his voice had softened up, and he had turned towards her.  
“But of course, your grace.” Corsac bowed, Fennec speaking after him. “We completely understand. It was a pleasure to see you again, young Blake.”  
“We were saddened when we heard of your departure from the White Fang,” Corsac said, looking at her. “But understand if you can no longer support our cause.”  
“It is a wearing fight after all.” Fennec finished his brother's sentence. Blake scowled briefly, stepping forward.  
“Who says I’m done fighting?” Blake responded, keeping her voice relatively calm. Swift Shadow glared at the two White Fang members.  
“If you ever do wish to rejoin us, you need merely come find us,” Corsac muttered, and his brother spoke once more. “Sister Ilia would be elated.”  
There was something about the way he said that that made Blake’s skin crawl, and Swift Shadow’s subtle rustling was an indicator he felt it too.  
Ghira stepped closer to the door, grabbing it. “Goodbye gentlemen,” he said curtly, closing the door. Blake walked off, Swift Shadow not far behind her.  
She caught Sun’s comment of the two, as well as her father’s comment about not like Sun, but paid no mind to it. Heading to the room that had been hers before, she found it had barely changed, although it was cleaner now.  
Swift Shadow looked around, nuzzling her leg affectionately before hopping up on the bed. “Yeah, sure, make yourself at home.” she chuckled, the black dragon slumping on the pillows and blankets with a sigh of relief.  
She sat down next to him, breathing in deeply and looking around the room. Memories were flooding her mind, and her dragon shifted to make more room for her, Blake ending up cuddling with him and letting the past come back to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, let me know if anything feels off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just for indulgent's sake really, I wanted to add it, so I did. Enjoy! ^^

It wasn’t the first time that an awkward silence was around the table, Sun grasping for conversation, Kali and Ghira seemingly not sure of what to say, and Blake barely glancing up at the others. Even the dragons were chattier, with the exception of Swift Shadow. While there was a rule about the dragons by the table, Swift Shadow and ignored it and remained curled up around Blake, but since he wasn’t begging, Kali let it slide.  
“So… what is with the dragon out front?” Sun asked, his last attempt at conversation failing quickly. “Thought she was a statue when I first saw her.”  
Kali chuckled, a light smile forming on her face. “Shiva likes to stand guard outside, and she is quite good at staying still. Beside’s, she’s a bit big to get in the house, so she’s kind of stuck out there.”  
“How’d you meet her though?” Sun asked a curious twitch to his tail. Blake looked up briefly, noticing Ghira watching her, and she quickly looked back down.  
“I found her on a walk.” Ghira sighed, glancing at Sun. “She was about half the size that she is now, and apparently had gotten stuck in a trap. Whoever set the trap left her there, and I couldn’t leave her behind. So I brought her back here.”  
“At first I was appalled,” Kali admitted, looking down briefly. “I mean, a dragon is a big responsibility, especially one of that size. I agreed to let her stick around until she healed up, however, and during that time, she and I got to know each other. Formed a strong bond, and after her leg healed up, she decided to stick around.”  
Glancing over at Sun, Blake noticed he looked confused. “Don’t like dragons very much?” he asked, and then sighed when Kali shook her head.  
“No, I’ve always liked them.” She explained. “But they aren’t pets, and most of the time, they are dangerous to be around. There is a reason the nations use them in their army, and Ghira and I never liked that some of the other White Fang members wanted to use them as well.”  
The conversation died down again, Swift Shadow staring at Kali with narrowed eyes as he wrapped his tail further around Blake.   
“Of course, dragons do make the world slightly safer. And the work that hunters and huntresses do with them, forming bonds and working with them, is different of course.” Ghira coughed into his fist. “And they make good companions. Just leave a more… violent message.”  
Swift Shadow focused his look on Ghira, ears flat against his neck. Sun forced a cough, gaining everyone’s attention. “What about Jasper?” he asked, an awkward grin on his face.  
“A while after Shiva joined us, Fennec and Corsac brought him by. Apparently, he’d been used by the White Fang, but after breaking his wing, they decided that he wasn’t worth much.” Ghira explained, sighing deeply. “They thought we’d take him in, and we agreed to, under the assumption that it was just until he healed up. He started following me around immediately, and made it clear that he wasn’t intending to leave.”  
“Shiva also liked him, so he got to stay,” Kali added, trying to get Blake’s attention. “He makes for a good guard as well. So we are glad we got him out of the Fang.”  
Swift Shadow suddenly stood up, walking away from the table with a sharp breath. Blake wasn’t far behind him, well aware of the fragile conversation dying quickly. The black dragon's tail flicked out of anger, and he shoved the front door open with help from his rider.  
“Blake, where are you going?” Ghira called out, voice thick with concern. She turned back towards them, a neutral look on her face.  
“Showing Swift Shadow the city.” She told them flatly, before stepping out of the door after the dragon and closing the door behind her.   
Swift Shadow looked back with a harsh look, his breath sharp. “Don’t pay them any mind.” She muttered, sighing heavily. “They aren’t completely wrong about people perceiving dragons as violent, but they don’t know you either. But let’s just go, before anyone tries to stop us.” she had a bitter smile on her face, and the dragon headbutted her gently.  
Just about to take off, Swift Shadow halted when the door opened and he turned his head towards the sound, scowling. Sun came up, his hands up.  
“Just thought I’d join you two, figure out the set up of this place.” he explained at Blake’s scowl, walking towards them. “Mind if I join you? Actually, do you want his saddle first?”  
“For one thing, I’m fine without a saddle. This isn’t a long flight, and up until Beacon, we didn’t have a saddle at all.” Blake said, sliding off Swift Shadow’s back. “Also, I wouldn’t try getting on him if I were you. Swifty Shadow is very picky about his riders.”  
Sun smirked, paying no heed to the warning. He confidently swung a leg over the thick neck of the night fury, who darted forward with a low growl, breathing heavily. “It’s alright bud, you know me!” he sounded surprised.  
“Swift Shadow has only let one other person ride him.” She explained with a glare, placing a hand on his back to calm him down. “Trust me when I say that he’s not the most trusting of others. I think I know him better than you.”  
Sun backed up, startled by the venom in her voice. “Okay, jeez. Sorry.” he looked away, “What would encourage him to trust me enough?”  
“Don’t try,” Blake warned, voice dry. “We can go by foot.” she snapped, starting to walk away. “Don’t fall behind though.”  
Sun grumbled as he jogged to catch up to her, walking on the other side of Swift Shadow. “So, what was all that about?” he asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.  
“Nothing,” Blake responded quickly, her steps brisk. “Look, I’m not in the mood to talk, so please, just don’t.”  
“You haven’t ‘been in the mood’ since Beacon fell!” Sun snapped, tail lashing the air violently. “You can’t run from your problems forever.”  
Blake looked at him with a cold glare, ears folding back with anger. Sun flinched backwards, closing his mouth into a frown. “This is the residential district, it’s where most of the houses are.”  
“Most?” Sun asked, playing along with the change of subjects. Blake nodded, one ear flicking with annoyance.   
“The aquatic faunus don’t like living this far inland, and it’s too busy during the day for most of the nocturnal faunus. They have separate areas, that work better for them.” Blake explained, watching some children run past in a game of chase, although they stopped when they saw the dragon.   
Swift Shadow didn’t like the attention very much but didn’t take to the sky this time, sticking close to Blake instead. Everyone had enough sense to leave the dragon a wide berth of space, perhaps not trusting him to stay calm. There were night furies around the island, and when they got too close and got aggressive, it never turned out well. Being hard to see even with good vision at night was terrifying to the population.  
Nearing the edge of the residential district, and getting close to the shopping district, Blake’s ears perked up at a sharp roar, searching in the area for the animal that had made it. It wasn’t hard to spot the source, a dragon bumping into random people, and everyone backing up with wide eyes. Not far behind was one of the guards from the large house, chasing after Golden Champ. Sun caught the dragon by his face, trying to slow down the dragon. Swift Shadow jumped back, eyes wide with concern.  
“Well, we could fly now.” Sun suggested, fixing Golden Champ’s saddle after he got the dragon to stop. “If you’d rather do that.”  
“Might as well.” Blake agreed, getting on her dragons back and letting him settle down. It felt nice to fly without the saddle, although it only ever worked for short flights. Anything past a few hours, the saddle was needed. Swift Shadow leveled out in the sky a good distance from the rooftop, and Golden Champ joined him.  
“Nice view.” Sun commented, shifting in his saddle. Blake was inclined to agree, pointing towards the shopping area.   
“That’s where most of the shops are, hence being the shopping district,” Blake said, glancing over at Sun. “The docks have some shops as well, mainly small vendors.” Swift Shadow’s wings beat slowly, gliding over the area with an impressed gaze.   
Golden Champ wasn’t gliding so much as he was darting around Swift Shadow, the younger dragon seeming to have energy for days. Sun didn’t have the best control over him, although he didn’t seem to try to limit the younger dragon’s movements.  
Under Blake’s guiding touch, Swift Shadow banked along the edge, eventually flying over a dark area of the town, and the night fury halted, looking around. Golden Champ followed in suit. “That is the nocturnal district, it’s better at night of course.” Blake explained.   
“Kinda separate from the rest of the town.” Sun commented, looking at the thick stripe of trees between the areas.   
“Keeps it quieter.” Blake sighed, “Now let’s go before Golden Champ decides to wake them up.” she rolled her eyes, and Swift Shadow started moving again, flying towards the coast.  
“You can see the boardwalk there, it’s where many of the aquatic faunus live.” Blake explained, glancing down at it with a fond smile. “We have to watch out for tidal class dragons though. Sometimes they wander too close, and well, they aren’t tamed.”   
“So keep an eye out on the water. Got it.” Sun smiled, eyes going towards the water. “Seems calm enough right now. How warm is the water?”  
“Warm,” Blake responded, eyes focusing on some seashockers a distance from the shallows. Hopefully, they would stay away from the shallows as well, but a few smaller seashockers were in the pod.   
Swift Shadow dipped down, ears rustling in the wind. A few faunus looked up, eyeing up the black dragon nervously. Without the saddle, it was hard to tell he wasn’t a wild dragon, and Blake figured that the faunus on the ground couldn’t see her.  
“Think they’ll attack?” Sun asked, seeing the looks. Blake shrugged, watching a ship pull away from the island.   
“I doubt it.” She responded, eyes on the pod of seashockers. “We’re high enough in the sky, and not appearing hostile. The saddle would just make it easier to see that he isn’t wild, but no one is incredibly prone to attacking dragons without reason here.”  
Sun didn’t respond, spotting the pod of tidal class dragons as well. “Are those dangerous?”  
“If they get close, maybe.” Blake said, watching them as Swift Shadow followed the coastline. “Sometimes the younger ones get curious, and then the full sized ones can be a threat. Easy enough to spook them back to the sea without hurting them however.”  
“Speaking of that, where’s hunters and huntresses?” Sun asked, looking around the sky. “I haven’t seen any others. What happens if dragons get too close?”  
“That would be because there isn’t any here.” Blake sighed, watching Sun’s jaw drop. “The area that dragons are in is cleared out and watched, until the dragon’s leave. Sometimes it’s not long, other times it takes longer for them to get bored.”  
“Why aren’t there any here?” Sun asked, eyes wide. “With the amount of dragons around here, it seems dangerous not to have…” he stopped slowly, glancing at Blake. “Oh.”   
“As I said before, it isn’t perfect, but we’ve done what we can.” Blake sighed, watching one of the younger dragons swim away from the group. “Seashocker heading towards shallows, make sure that anyone on the boardwalk is aware of that. Swift Shadow and I can scare them off.” Blake noted, the night fury diving down and turning towards the wandering dragon.  
The crowds started gathering, looking around with confused chatter. Sun diving down didn’t help either, he was immediately swarmed by the population. Golden Champ followed his riders directions, although he glanced back at the night fury.   
“Shot the water near them, Swifty.” Blake muttered, and the black dragon nodded, before preparing his blast. The seashocker skidded away from the sudden splash, looking around for the source. “Curious little guy.” Blake smiled, glancing towards the rest of them.   
Blake tried to ignore the crowds, but their sounds were loud enough to distract her. With the blast from her dragon, they had gotten startled, and everyone in the water moved away. Golden Champ was hovering above them, unable to land.   
Swift Shadow dove down, flying past the young seashocker and out towards the sea. They seemed to get the idea, but continued towards the shallows. With a quiet grumble, Swift Shadow got in front of them again, blasting the water once more. The blast got the attention of the older dragons in the pod, who roared out.  
At the roar, the young seashocker swam back to their family, splashing Swift Shadow with a deliberate slap on the water's surface. Blake chuckled, and let her dragon move towards the crowd, intending to alert them of the dragons nearby.   
“The dragons are leaving now, but keep an eye out for them.” Blake told the crowds as Swift Shadow slowed down. “Sun, there’s more to see, but with these crowds…”   
Sun nodded, urging his dragon to start flying. Swift Shadow didn’t wait, flying back up. They flew over the main path, heading back to the multi-story house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, let me know if anything feels off, or the characters feel out of character. 
> 
> So uh yeah, not sure if I made this clear yet, but basically militaries and Huntsman use dragons, but also the White Fang after they went violent.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Covers the convo that Blake has with her dad, and also the first of the Ilia encounters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so if this has been awhile, im sorry. i lost track of time and just ... didn't post it?? i dunno. doesnt' really matter. what matters is that I am posting it.

Staring at the door to her father’s study, Blake didn’t notice her mother approach her, although Swift Shadow was watching Kali with an alert gaze. Her mother was holding a tray with a pot on it, looking relaxed.  
“You know, you can always go in and say hi.” Kali told her, voice calm. She had a knowing look in her eyes.  
“I don’t want to bother him.” Blake said, meeting her mother’s gaze. Swift Shadow looked back at her, tail flicking lightly.  
“A father’s never too busy for his daughter.” Kali responded quickly, glancing over at the night fury when he sniffed the tray, leaning towards it.  
Blake smiled lightly, relaxing a little. “Not all my friends would agree with you on that.” She commented, trying to keep her thoughts of the rest of her team limited.   
Kali didn’t respond verbally, instead moving closer to quickly kiss her cheek and hand her the tray. Blake looked down at the tray, then back at her mother. “Here.”  
“What?” Blake asked, perplexed as Kali started to walk away. “Where are you going?” her voice rose with the confusion.  
“You’ve never been very talkative,” she started, turning back to look at her daughter. “But that boy you brought home loves to run his mouth. I want to hear more about the adventures of team RWBY.” Kali explained, walking away again.   
Blake didn’t respond, looking over at her dragon with a confused look. Her father's voice called out after a moment, asking about his wife. Blake’s eyes narrowed, realizing what her mother had set up, and Swift Shadow focused on the study’s door.  
Opening the door a moment later, she entered the large study, Swift Shadow following after her. Jasper, the rumblehorn, was sleeping in front of the desk, although his nose twitched at the new scents.  
“Hey, dad.” Blake muttered, closing the door behind her after the dragon was all the way in. Swift Shadow made his way towards the deep purple dragon, nudging him awake.   
“Blake!” Ghira noted, leaning back in his chair. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Please, come sit!” he gestured to the couch and chair in the room, standing up and moving around his desk.  
Blake looked over at him, before moving over to the couch, pausing to let Swift Shadow past her, his tail taunting Jasper. She set the tea down on the coffee table, but when she went to pour the tea, Ghira spoke again.  
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” he started. “Sit down, sit down.” he told her, sitting in the chair, and shifting it closer to the table.  
“I don’t want to keep you with your-” Blake started, ears flicking when Swift Shadow jumped up on the couch and spread out, his head against her leg.   
“Nonsense. I’ve been cooped up in here all day.” Ghira dismissed her words, pouring tea into the two cups. “You still take sugar, right?” he asked, adding a cube of sugar to one of the cups until Blake shook her head awkwardly, then apologizing.  
Before he could offer his cup to her, she grabbed the one with sugar, letting him know it wasn’t a big deal.   
“Old habits, I suppose.” Ghira sighed, looking over at his dragon for a moment. Blake took a sip of the tea, forgetting that it was still hot. She put it on the table and sighed.  
“So… is it, uh, warm in Vale?” Ghira asked, changing topics quickly. Jasper moved over to his side, sitting down and briefly nuzzling his leg.  
“Huh?” Blake asked, not connecting the dots due to the fact that her mind was still racing. Swift Shadow offered her no support, stretching out further.  
“It just seems like your outfit doesn’t cover very much.” Ghira added quickly, looking as awkward as Blake felt.   
“It covers plenty!” Blake objected, crossing her arms as she leaned to the side a bit more, almost glaring at her father.  
“I mean, a little more armor might help.” Ghira continued, seemingly oblivious to her response. “Don’t you think?”  
“I’m fine! I don’t need armor, I can look after myself.” Blake objected again, painfully aware of the scar hidden by her jacket.   
Ghira seemed to finally get the hint, backing up a bit. “I…” he started, before sighing and looking down. “I know you can. I’m sorry.” he set down his tea, and his look softened.  
Blake looked away, ears falling flat at the words. “Why?” she asked, voice low. “Why would you say that?”  
Looking down, she hadn’t noticed Ghira move until she felt his hand on her back. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked, voice thick with concern. “What did I say?” his words felt genuine.   
Blake hated how weak her voice was when she responded. “How can you still love me after what I did?”  
“Blake…” Ghira muttered, standing up to sit next to her, pushing Swift Shadow out of his way gently. “Your mother and I will always love you.” he told her, emphasizing ‘always’.  
“You were right! I shouted at you, and yelled at you, but you were right.” Blake finally looked back up, meeting her father’s gaze shakily. “I called you cowards.”  
“It’s okay.” Ghira muttered, wrapping her into a firm hug. Blake collapsed against his chest, looking away again.   
“I should have left the White Fang with you and mom. I should have listened to you, and I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”   
“Blake, it’s fine.” Ghira told her, making her look at him. “We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail. The only thing I ever feared was that you would fall down the wrong path. And I am so proud to see you haven’t.”   
“But I did!” Blake pointed out, barely noticing when Swift Shadow sat down next to her and rested his head on her legs, growling softly at her. “I was-”  
“And you pulled yourself out.” Ghira cut her off, voice firm. “You came back. There aren’t many who possess that kind of strength, and even fewer that have the strength to face their demons again. Vale, Mount Glen, Beacon. You confronted the White Fang, time after time.”  
“I didn’t do it alone.” she muttered, glancing back at him.  
“No, you didn’t. Which is why I wanted to ask you, why did you leave Vale? Why did you leave your friends behind?” he asked, voice soft.  
“I…” she started, until a sound caught her attention, as well as Swift Shadow’s, and Sun fell down into the room, along with a panel of the wall. Golden Champ was just behind him. “Sun?!”   
He stood up with a start, acting innocent. “Oh, wow. This isn’t the bathroom!” he acted surprised, “I’ll just be going! Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment!”   
Blake glared at him, ears falling back until Ghira spoke up again, then pointing towards him. “I really don’t like you.” the tall faunus said, voice almost a growl. 

On the balcony, Swift Shadow was growling at Golden Champ, his tail lashing around dangerously. The woolly howl had jumped straight at the night fury, ignoring any warning growls from the black dragon, who generally didn’t like physical contact that wasn’t of his own ideas. Not even Yang could just come at him, and she was the only other person he’d let in his saddle. Only Blake was allowed to touch him without permission first, the dragon only fully trusting her.   
Blake was glaring at Sun, ears pinning back. “No concept of privacy, no respect for personal space!” She snapped, Sun recovering from being slapped.   
“I’m sorry, okay!” Sun backed up, and getting his dragon to back up as well. Blake had the decency to ask Swift Shadow to calm down with a look, and he stopped his growling, but was still in a defensive position. “Ow, I’m sorry!”   
Blake turned with a frustrated sigh, pacing away from the monkey faunus. “Look, I promise this was important. I needed to find you and talk to you!” Sun explained.  
“What, Sun?!” Blake asked, turning to face him. “What could be so important?!” She asked, glaring at him still.  
“I was talking to your mom, and she said something weird about the White Fang.” Sun started to explain, his tail resting on the back of Golden Champ, who relaxed into the touch, but still kept a scared gaze on the night fury.  
“I’m stopping you right there.” Blake snapped, walking closer towards him. When Sun objected, she interrupted him. “I told you, I’m not here to fight the White Fang! I’m not here to fight anyone. I’m here to rest, to figure things out, and to see my family.” Blake told him, her tone losing its edge at the end.   
Sun ignored her words, continuing with what he was saying before. “Your mom said White Fang members don’t wear masks in Menagerie. But I saw one at the market yesterday! I even got a picture.” he pulled his scroll out, starting to search for the photo.  
“Sun!” Blake started, arms crossed. Sun snapped back, but Blake ignored his comment. “I don’t want your help!” She snapped, tossing the scroll into the jungle. Sun started growling at her, and she meet his gaze until a sudden gasp got their attention.  
Blake’s eyes narrowed as she looked into the trees, ears searching for any other sound. Both dragons focus shifted as well, Swift Shadow’s protective instincts kicking in. Blake managed to spot a figure, perched off in the distance, some dragon beside them. Swift Shadow shared a look with Blake, and she got on his unsaddled back, and the dragon took off, letting out a snappy roar.  
The figure mounted their dragon as well, weaving through the trees as quickly as possible. The dragon seemed good at it, and Sun and Golden Champ were following shortly behind them.

Chasing the figure and their dragon through the trees, Swift Shadow was gaining on them, forcing them up with blasts of his fire. The dragon was a changewing, but their scales weren’t shifting hues at all.   
Golden Champ came out from higher in the sky, diving down on the changewing and their rider. The masked rider dodged skillfully, and Golden Champ struggling to smooth his flight and not crash into the ground. Swift Shadow moved past the two, not ready to lose his prey.  
The rider jumped off their dragon as soon as a roof was close, dragon circling overhead. Blake tapped Swift Shadow’s neck, and he nodded. She jumped off, running after the masked White Fang member as Swift Shadow charged after the changewing in the sky. His flight was paused, as he briefly eyeing up the changewing with confusion.  
Running after the person, Blake was trying to figure out who it was, thinking for just a second that it could be Ilia. Fennec and Corsac had mentioned her before, but the changewing was too stiff to be Iris. Swift Shadow seemed to agree with that judgement as well, charging in for his attack.   
The masked faunus was definitely a chameleon faunus however, shifting colors after they were out of the trees. Stopping briefly at some piping coming out of the roof, Blake watched the person cut the pips with a whip.  
Blake ducked through the burst of steam, scowling. “Why are you watching me?” she asked, keeping her voice calm as the dragons roared in battle overhead. Sun joined them, falling off his dragon’s back as he rushed to aid Swift Shadow.  
The White Fang member spotted him fail, stagger, and look up at the battling dragons. They cracked their whip at them, but Sun dodged narrowly, falling a bit as he did. Blake jumped at the chameleon faunus, who dodged. Sun jumped at them again, managing to pin them down and a scroll sliding away from them.  
“Grab the scroll!” Sun shouted, glancing over at Blake. “Seems someone thinks it's important!” he struggled to hold down the smaller person.  
“Get off!” they grunted out, headbutting Sun, and then chasing after Blake as she raced towards the scroll. The mask was now partially broken now, one eye fully revealed.  
Sun charged again, tackling the person to the rooftop again. Blake felt bad for anyone inside the building at the moment, and paused, looking over at Sun.  
“Stop staring and grab it!” He hissed, his grip loose and the White Fang member backing up and raising their weapon. As their arm went up, the mask fully fell apart, damage from the first tackle adding onto the second. Blake froze when she saw the face, undeniably Ilia’s face.  
Ilia glared at Blake, who meet the look with a look just as venomous. “Ilia.” she said, ears folding flat.   
“Wait, you know her?” Sun asked, voice sharp as he pointed an arm at Ilia. “But she doesn’t even look like a faunu-” he started, glancing up at the sudden roar of pain from Golden Champ. He didn’t notice the whip coming at his arm, but when it meet him, he couldn’t hold back his scream of pain. Golden Champ tried to duck down immediately, only to be blocked by Iris.  
“Sun!” Blake called out, eyes widening as he fell to the roof. When she looked back at Ilia, her skin was red with anger.  
“Give it to me.” her voice was low, and the weapon was pointed at Blake now. Swift Shadow roared out, distracting Iris from Golden Champ.   
Blake refocused her glare on Ilia. “No.” she snapped, breathing heavily and standing firm. The dragons struggled against each other, Golden Champ circling cautiously.  
Ilia’s skin went green, and her spots and hair turned vibrant blue. Lowering her weapon, Ilia looked down. “You shouldn’t have come back.” she muttered, voice shaky with fear. Backing up, Ilia whistled, and Iris dived down and picked her rider up, flying away.   
Swift Shadow started to gather a shot together, but stopped, unsure. He instead landed next to Blake, a few small injuries from Iris’s teeth. Golden Champ landed, panting wildly and he struggled to keep his feet. Blake moved over to Sun’s side, panic flooding in when she saw blood.  
Swift Shadow helped her get Sun on the back of his dragon. Guilt was flooding her senses, the same guilt as when Yang had rushed in at Beacon. “Goldy, make sure he doesn’t fall off, let’s get back before…” her voice died down, and she got on her dragons back. Swift Shadow flew just below Golden Champ, the two gliding slowly back to Blake’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is still the first project that I've written Ghira, Kali, and Sun sooo. let me know if they seem OOC.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but more plot and less combat.

After they had gotten back last night, Ghira had been nice enough to let Sun rest on the couch in his study. The injury wasn’t as bad as it looked either, easing some of the guilt flowing through Blake. Golden Champ was resting as well, resting his shoulder. It seemed like a blast from Swift Shadow had missed it’s target as Iris ducked, although the night fury hadn’t let out a particularly strong blast. Swift Shadow was hiding behind Ghira’s desk however, probably due to his own guilt.  
“Blake?” Sun asked, voice both raspy with sleep and pain. Blake didn’t look up, sighing deeply.  
“This is why Sun…” she explained. “This is why I left them all behind.” Blake finally looked over at Sun.  
Sun started to sit up, head tilting to the side in confusion. “What are you…? Wait, where am I?” he asked, glancing around slowly.  
“I am done seeing my friends hurt because of me.” Blake stood up, eyes dark. When Sun started to interpret her, she snapped slightly. “Shut up! Do you think I like being alone?”  
Swift Shadow looked up, an offended look in his eyes, and Blake gave him a look that said ‘you know what I mean’. “Everyday. Everyday I think about them. Ruby, Weiss, Yang…” her voice started to break. “They were my friends, I loved them like I never thought I could love anybody. And I hope they hate me for leaving.”  
“You don’t mean that.” Sun started, flinching slightly when she looked back at him. The conversation woke up Golden Champ, who rushed over to his rider’s side, nuzzling him happily.  
“Yes I do!” Blake snapped, breathing heavily. “Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can’t. You saw Ilia last night, and she’s not even the worst!” Blake sat down at the other end of the couch.  
Swift Shadow slowly came out from behind the desk, settling behind her without looking at Golden Champ. “No, no more. They’re better off without me.” Blake tried to convince herself. “I made my choices, and I’ll deal with the consequences because they belong to me.”  
“You think you’re being selfless, but you’re not.” Sun objected slowly, and Blake looked over at him. “Yeah, that chameleon friend of yours got me pretty good, but I’d do it all again if it meant protecting you. I can promise, Yang would say the same.”  
Blake looked away again, Swift Shadow catching her eyes. Blake knew that he missed Bumblebee a lot, and was just as close to Silverblade and Krystal. The first night in Menagerie, sleep proved impossible, and they had gone out of the balcony. Swift Shadow had just stared up at the sky, looking for the yellow monstrous nightmare.  
“You can make your own choices, sure.” Sun said, sitting up fully now. “But you don’t get to make ours. When your friends fight for you, it’s because we want to. So stop pushing us out.” Sun paused, meeting her eyes. “It hurts, more than anything the bad guys could ever do to us.”  
Blake looked away again, not able to find any words to counter what Sun had just said. Sun didn’t press for a response. Golden Champ walked over to Swift Shadow’s side, nuzzling him slightly. The night fury relaxed a bit, giving the younger dragon a brief nuzzle back.  
“But, if it makes you feel any better, the next time I go up against Lizard Girl, it won’t be for you.” Sun told her, voice clear. “It’ll be to get even.” he pointed at the injury, wincing as pain coursed through his arm. Blake couldn’t stop her light chuckle.  
“My hero.” she muttered, a small smile on her face. A sudden sound killed the mood, as the wall fell again.  
“Oh, oh dear, would you look at at that!” Kali acted innocent. “He’s awake! Thank goodness.  
“Kali! Please…” Ghira muttered, Jasper making a small sound as well, almost embarrassed.  
“Mom!” Blake glared at the woman, voice sharp. Sun made a more pleasant comment, although his voice now had an awkward tinge to it. “What are you doing?” she asked, walking over towards her mother.  
Kali dropped the act, watching her walk over. “Well sweetheart, your father needed to speak with the two of you. Jasper snuck around them, walking into the study without a concern about the door under his claws.  
Blake looked confused at them, and the three dragons greeted each other noisily, Golden Champ being the loudest as usual.

“I’m afraid you were right to be suspicious.” Ghira spoke as he set down the scroll they had recovered last night, open to some files under the label of ‘W.F.’  
“What do you mean?” Blake asked, looking up from the scroll at her father. Sun mirrored the action, eyes wide.  
“Adam Taurus is planning on overthrowing the leader of the White Fang.” Ghira explained, making Blake tense up a bit. Swift Shadow let out a low growl at the name. “And stage a full scale attack on Haven Academy. It will be the fall of Beacon all over again.”  
“Not if we destroy the White Fang once and for all.” Sun muttered, glancing over at Blake.  
“No.” Blake muttered, eyes setting in a glare. “We’re not going to destroy the White Fang, we’re going to take it back.” She said, voice strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, let me know if anything ever feels out of character. or just let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one hurts. I'm sorry

“Unbelievable!” Ghira shouted as he shoved the door open, Sun just behind him. Blake and Kali had held back a little.  
“Total garbage!” Sun also shouted, practically in sync with Ghira. As he walked into the house, both had a slight growl.  
“We can’t let them get away with this!” both said, Shiva looking over at them with a confused look.  
“Well, at least you two can finally agree on something.” Kali muttered, getting both of their attention. Both males shared a look, chuckling awkwardly. Jasper rushed through the door from the dining room, nuzzling Ghira happily.  
For once, Blake was feeling confident. “Guys, everything is going to be okay.” she told them, watching Swift Shadow rush towards her with a happy growl.  
They had agreed that it was best to leave the dragons at the house during the meeting, and Swift Shadow had begrudgingly agreed, finding a corner to mope in. Fennec and Corsac had also agreed to leave their dragon out of this.

Blake had wandered off from the group shortly after, heading up to the second level of the house, Swift Shadow right behind her. She ended up wandering to a balcony, and the guard took notice.  
“Good evening, miss.” she spoke, standing alert. “Can I get you anything?” Her tone was professional, barely greeting the night fury, as he went to greet her.  
“Just a little time to myself, if that’s alright.” Blake said, voice polite. Swift Shadow retreated to her side, looking rejected.  
“Sure thing, just call if you need me.” the guard nodded, heading into the house. The door closed silently, and Blake sighed slightly.  
“You need better security.” Ilia’s voice came out of nowhere, and then the chameleon faunus jumped onto the railing, watching Blake and Swift Shadow tense up. “Please, I just need to talk!” she explained when Blake started reaching for the door.  
Blake relaxed slightly, looking over at Ilia. “How could you take the fall for them, Ilia?” She asked, placing a hand on Swift Shadow’s neck to quiet his growls. “Corsac and Fennec blamed you. We confronted them tonight, and they denied knowing anything. And everything we found on your scroll, they talked about how disappointed they were to hear that you’ve sided with Adam.” Blake’s voice took a sharp edge at the name, and Ilia looked down, frowning. “But you and I both know they're guilty.”  
“You can’t prove anything.” Ilia spoke, her voice sounding defeated. Although it was hard to tell with the mask, Blake was confident that Ilia was meeting her gaze.  
“That scroll might not have been enough to lock them up, but it’s enough to sway the faunus here. When we go public tomorrow, their not going to stand for any of it. And neither should you.”  
“Your plan isn’t going to work, Blake.” Ilia pulled off her mask, looking down at it with remorseful eyes. “Please, just leave Menagerie before it’s too late.” she said, looking over at Blake with the same expression. Swift Shadow started sniffing around, probably for the scent of Iris.  
Blake held the gaze for a few seconds. “You’re going to have to make me.” she warned, eyes narrowing.  
“I know.” Ilia whispered, putting the mask back on slowly. She then jumped down, and the sound of wings flapping caught Blake’s attention.  
After the sound of the wings went away, Blake moved over to the railing herself, ears folding down. Swift Shadow moved over towards her, headbutting her softly and making a soft sound. 

“Adam.” Sienna said, voice stern. “I’m not going to repeat myself, so I want you to listen when I tell you that the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy.” The tiger faunus was sitting on her throne, her deadly nadder just behind her and guards posted besides her.  
Fixing his gaze on her while kneeling, Adam spoke slowly. “High Leader Khan, I am begging you.” he started, voice relatively calm. His deathgripper was pacing just behind him, snarling quietly.  
“You should beg for forgiveness and nothing else!” she snapped at him, leaning forward slightly. The dark blue deadly nadder whipped his tail slightly, eyes narrowing.  
“The assault you lead on Beacon was not the victory you clearly think it was.” Her voice lost its edge as she relaxed slightly. “And you should be grateful your punishment wasn’t more severe. You are a symbol for many in our organization, that doesn’t make you infallible.”  
“I was merely trying to follow your example, High Leader.” he spoke again, keeping the same tone in his voice.  
“And what example might that be?” the question was baited, Sienna’s tone holding a steely edge to it.  
“Strength. Strength and unwavering conviction.” Adam said, looking up. “The humans have seen that strength now.”  
A sigh came from the leader of the White Fang. “I was one of the first to suggest violence where violence was necessary. I was one of the first to bring dragons into the White Fang as well. Peace spread complacency, and exemptaince of our place in the world.” Sienna started lecturing, her dragon nuzzling her hand lightly. Sienna briefly smiled at the dragon, fixing her gaze back on Adam quickly.  
“I will not allow humanity to push us down without pushing them back! But the destruction of huntsman's academies crosses a line! The loss of the CCT has brought global communications to a crawl, and the White Fang is more of a target now than ever before. You have justified humanity’s campaign against us, and for what? Empty promises from a group of humans? Humans we still know nothing about and come and go as they please!  
These are not examples of strength, Adam. They are examples of your talent being diminished by short sightedness!”  
“If you want to know more about the humans, then why not talk to one of them yourself?” Adam asked, keeping his irritation in check. He stood up, turning slightly towards the door. “Hazel!” he called out, voice sharp.  
Only a second later, the human walked in, his large snafflefang just behind him. “Took you long enough.” the man muttered, walking in cautiously.  
The outrage was clear in Sienna’s voice when she spoke up. “What is this?!” she asked as she stood up, dragon racing over in front of her and flicking his tail a few times, letting the spines on it crackle a little. The guards behind her moved to a more defensive position, aiming their spears at Hazel.  
“Apologies, I don’t aim to cause any trouble.” Hazel said, voice respectful as he stopped walking, standing next to Adam.  
“You’ve brought a human to this location?” Sienna’s anger was directed at Adam, who had to settle the deathgripper behind him with a sharp look.  
“You should hear what he has to say.” Adam explained, voice starting to show tension in it. Sienna’s glare was still focused on him.  
“This is grounds for execution!” she snapped, ignoring Hazel just a moment longer. Her dragon flicked his tail again, snarling quietly.  
“Ma’am, please. Nobody needs to die today.” Hazel spoke politely, on guard but not particularly aggressive. His dragon was in similar state, watching the sharp class dragon carefully, but keeping things as peaceful as possible. “I’m just asking for a moment of your time.”  
“The longer you stay here, the less of a chance you have of leaving alive.” Sienna warned Hazel, ears folding with anger.  
“I’ll take those chances, if you don’t mind.” Even when being threatened, the human was respectful. After a tense moment, Sienna sat back down, crossing one leg over the other. Her dragon relaxed slightly, although remained by her side. The guards shifted back to their statue like stance, spears aimed at the sky.  
“You don’t like me, you have no reason to like me.” Hazel started, standing up from his kneel. “But you don’t have to like me to get the results you want.”  
“I’m starting to doubt either of you fully comprehend what it is that I want.” Sienna sighed. “I want humanity to fear the faunus, to know that we demand respect! I do not want to start a war with humans that we cannot win!” her ears pulled back as she leaned forward, voice getting louder.  
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Adam interjected, a small smirk making its way to his face. Both Sienna and Hazel looked over at him, confusion in their eyes.  
“We can win a war against the human. Not only because we have the support of Hazel’s master, but because the faunus are the dominant species of this planet.” he started walking towards Sienna, slowly. “We’re better than humans. We have everything humans have and more. Humans shouldn’t just fear the faunus, they should serve the faunus.” a sadistic smile was on his face now.  
The deathgripper started moving as well, keeping himself in between the blue dragon and Adam, while separating the deadly nadder from Sienna as well.  
“I’ve had enough of this conversation for tonight.” Sienna sighed, eyes focused on Adam. “Guards, take them away.”  
After a few seconds of the guards remaining still, Sienna snapped. “I said, take them away!”  
“I will admit, Sienna, you were right about my popularity.” Adam spoke again, Sienna focusing back on him. A concerned growl came from the deadly nadder as he was pushed further from his rider. “My followers in Vale already see me as the true High Leader. And many here in Mistral feel the same.”  
Confusion turned to suspicion, Sienna moving to stand up with her gaze glued on Adam. A scowl started to appear, masking her panic. It made Adam’s smile turn to a smirk, the doors opening as more guards piled in.  
“What are you doing?” Hazel asked, voice taking up a tense note as he looked over at Adam, snafflefang shuffling nervously at the drugged dragon.  
“What’s right for the faunus.” Adam answered immediately, refocusing his gaze on Sienna. “From this day forward, I will be the one to lead the White Fang.” he told the tiger faunus.  
All the guards had their weapons aimed at Sienna now, and her deadly nadder started to struggle to get past the deathgripper, who kept moving to block his path. A tense silence fell across the room, save for the squawking nadder.  
Anger had pulled Sienna’s ears flat, and she was glaring at the ground. “If you think I’ll just step aside and follow beneath you,” her voice was steeped with anger and defiance, a tone that irritated Adam beyond belief, “you’re wrong-” she gasped as Adam drove his sword into her, looking down at the stab with wide eyes.  
“I know.” Adam said, voice calm. He pulled her closer to him, ignoring the way she started shaking as fear set in. “Thank you, Sienna. You were there when our people needed you, but they need me now.” His smirk turned into a broad smile. “I’m sorry you couldn’t see this through to the end.”  
Sienna started reaching for his neck, arm shaking intensely. The squawks turned desperate as the blade was pulled out, Sienna’s body falling down the stairs. The blue deadly nadder launched a few spines at the deathgripper, who dodged and let him get away. The dragon raced towards his rider, desperately nuzzling her and sniffing. Calling out and glancing at her ears, hoping to see them flick slightly.  
As no response came, the nadders frill fell and his eyes went wide, the dragon letting out a loud mournful cry before charging at Adam, stopping suddenly when the deathgripper stabbed him with his stinger, venom entering his system. The nadder stilled, eyes dilating into sharp slits, and his breathing slowed down. The dragon was mere inches from Adam’s face, calmly looking into his eyes.  
“Give our former leader a proper burial. All who were here tonight will claim that Sienna was murdered by a human Huntsman. Sienna Khan will become a martyr for our cause, her final act as High Leader” Adam calmly called out, stepping away from the deadly nadder. “And cage her dragon. We can still use him.”  
Guards started acting out on his orders, getting a cage for the blue dragon and placing Sienna’s body on a stretcher, carrying it out. His deathgripper approached him, looking pleased with himself.  
“When were you planning on telling me about that?” Hazel asked, not looking at Adam, but at his dragon instead, who had flinched down and was shivering slightly.  
“This was my business, not yours.” Adam brushed off the question as he cleaned his blade, calm.  
“It’s our business now, and I don’t appreciate you withholding things like that.” Hazel responded, politeness gone from his voice.  
“Your master was concerned with Sienna’s willingness to cooperate. Now she doesn’t have to be.” Adam explained, posture relaxed.  
“Nobody needed to die today.” Hazel muttered, turning and walking out with a quivering dragon.  
Adam ignored the human, sitting in his throne with a smile. “I disagree.” his dragon settled besides him, and Adam recognized the look of the venom fading off, quickly pressing down on one of the needles in the dragons harness. The look faded as the venom took control again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was.... well both of my beta reader (who I love very much btw, they are the best) were hurting, I was hurting from this (and from having to write Adam in general). 
> 
> As usual, let me know what you think, and let me know if anything feels out of character.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so before anyone asks, the reason Blake and Swift Shadow traveled by boat to Menagerie is just because it's clearly a long trip, and it would be animal cruelty to not travel by boat or plane. There's basically just paperwork to fill out or some crap that indicates that he's not a wild dragon. (Sun and Golden Champ did smuggle on board though, that's not different.)  
> 


End file.
